EA is removing Russian teams from FIFA 22, other sports games in wake of Ukraine invasion

EA Sports titles cover the whole globe with the matches and teams they offer, and as such, they have the power to make a statement when events like the Russian invasion of Ukraine occur. EA is doing just that by removing Russian teams from its franchises.

Per a statement released on Twitter, “EA Sports stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people.” The company is calling for an end to the conflict and has “initiated processes to remove the Russian national team and all Russian clubs from EA Sports FIFA products.” FIFA 22, FIFA Mobile, and FIFA Online are named specifically, but EA is also “actively evaluating related changes to other games,” so the same may happen for earlier games in the franchise. As you might expect, replies to the tweet include a mix of support for the removal, entitlement about that content being removed, and general complaints about FIFA 22. Regardless, EA Sports will “keep [its] communities up date” on how it handles the situation.

EA is one of many companies lending its voice in support of the Ukrainian people. Developers like Frogwares, The Serpent Rogue, and Vostok Games have all called for action in the wake of the invasion. Similarly, the recent Pokémon Scarlet and Violent announcement almost didn’t happen out of respect for the people caught in the conflict.